Darach Forest

Darach Forest was the birthplace and home of Shep and the Firbolg clan. The forest was bordered by the town of Riverton to the north and the Dragonskeep Mountains to the South. The Moonflow River runs through Darach from the Dragonskeep Mountains and past present-day Riverton. Darach Forest is located on the continent of Beren.

History
Darach Forest was an ancient oak forest. Having existed for thousands of years, it was one of the oldest forests in Beren. About 4,000 years before the Emerald Pillar fell, a nomadic Firbolg clan discovered the vast forest. Their old home had been destroyed and they were in search of a new forest where they could serve as protectors. They found a clearing in the center of Darach where the Moonflow River split. They settled there and lived for many generations, tending to the wildlife and ensuring the equal distribution of resources for the benefit of all creatures there.

About 200 years before the Pillar fell, some humans came to settle next to the river to the north of the forest. They called the village Riverton, and it grew rapidly in the years to come. Resources were plentiful in the area, making it an ideal village for farming and raising livestock. It soon became a prosperous town. Despite this, the humans in Riverton never wandered far into the forest. The elders spread tales of the fearsome giants that lived deep in the forest, and this seemed to keep the townspeople from entering Darach farther than a half-day's journey. The people of Riverton rarely crossed paths with the Firbolgs of the forest, and took care to only use the resources that they needed.

In the years just before the Pillar fell, the Firbolg Shep noticed while journeying to the outer edges of Darach that plants and animals were starting to die off in shockingly large numbers. Shep journeyed through the corruption and saw that it started in the Dragonskeep Mountains to the south and pushed into the forest. It caused a complete devastation; any living creature was turned into a blackish purple ash. Shep was sent to find the cause and journeyed for months throughout the forest, studying the corruption. Shep attempted several times to grow plants in the corrupted area, but they were turned to ash within a day. As time went on, this corruption came closer and closer to the Firbolg stronghold, though their magical presence seemed to slow its advance.

While Shep was studying the corruption, the Dragon Valmera, consumed by the corruption and unable to find any food elsewhere flew down from the mountains and attacked the Firbolg stronghold. She laid waste to the Firbolg city and the surrounding area, leaving only ash and bones. Without the Firbolgs, the corruption quickly claimed the rest of the forest.

Shep carries a staff that is the only known surviving, uncorrupted wood of Darach Forest.